Aries
by Nate Crawford
Summary: Aries' journey dealing with the loss of his sister and best friend, overcoming grief and finding love.
1. Preface

Preface:

Aries:

"You disgust me. You are nothing," The Cold One spat.

"I know, I know. I am nothing. I am worthless." Aries mumbled, staring into space.

"That's not what I said! Please Aries, try to understand", The Cold One cried exasperated. "I said you disgust me. You are nothing."

"I am disgusting, I am… nothing". Aries turned his head away, as the Cold One once again disappeared into the darkness.

Doctor Morgan:

"You return to me, Cold One?" Aries asked, without diverting his face from the wall.

"I will never desert you, Aries" Doctor Morgan replied.

"Why? For I am nothing. Why do you waste your time?"

"You are not nothing. " Doctor Morgan corrected gently. "You are worth it to me! You are someone!"

"I know, I know. I am nothing. I am worthless." Aries mumbled, staring into space.

"That's not what I said! Please Aries, try understand," Doctor Morgan cried exasperated. "I said you are worth it to me! You are someone!"

"I am disgusting, I am…nothing" Aries turned his head away, as Doctor Morgan sighed and quietly slipped out of the room.

How is he doctor? Nurse Freeman asked quietly.

"No better" Doctor Morgan replied wearily. "Perhaps worse."

"Tomorrow is another day Sir." Nurse Freeman comforted.

"You said that yesterday," Doctor Morgan said jokingly, but with no humor at all.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

"Aries! Please come on Aries! We shall be late!" little Titania cried tugging at her brother's sleeve. Aries laughed and lifted her up onto his shoulders.

"Do not fret dear one, the carnival is open all night, and we have all the time in the world."

When the two youngsters finally reached the end of the path, they met up with Aries' best friend, Felix, and his younger brother Dexter. Greetings were exchanged and Titania and Dexter ran ahead, holding hands and laughing. As the two boys walked, conversation drifted casually from topic to topic. They talked of the war, the invasion of German soldiers, and Hitler's promise to exterminate all Jews. They switched to school and their friends. Then Felix added slyly, "I heard that Cecilia was going to the carnival today, maybe we might bump into her somewhere?"

Aries blushed, and shoved his hands into his pockets trying to remain cool. "Yeah maybe," he replied, trying to sound indifferent. Felix laughed and let the topic drop.

By this time, the boys had reached the end of the woods, where Titania and Dexter were waiting for them. They found the two children staring in awe at the wonder before them. Ahead in the field, stood a magnificent display of tents, of all shapes, sizes and colours, and a large selection of stalls and rides. There was a petting zoo, and a carousel. The children could hardly contain their excitement. They stood for a moment, and then ran, full speed towards the carnival.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

There were so many new sights and sounds at the carnival. Titania could hardly wait to see everything, but her parents had instructed her to stay with Aries at all times, so she must be patient until he was ready to move. Looking around she saw so many things she had never seen before; clowns and magicians, fairy floss and popcorn. It was all so overwhelming. After what seemed like an age, Aries finally turned to her and said "come on sister, it's time to ride the carousel". Titania and Dexter had never been on a carousel before, and they once again rushed ahead of their brothers, to get a good spot in the line. When Aries and Felix joined them, there were only two people ahead of them. Tickets were bought and Dexter climbed on top of a Pegasus, while Titania opted for the golden swan. Aries and Felix sat and talked on the sidelines. Titania felt as though she was flying when the carousel started spinning, and joyful music started to play. She closed her eyes, and let the wind blow through her hair. Tilting her head back, she laughed and held on tight, while the swan continued to glide round and round.

Suddenly, from behind her came to big hands, one to cover her mouth and one to grab her around the waist and yank her off the swan. She kicked and bit, while Dexter hit and pushed trying to free her. The last thing Titania saw was Aries' head turned the other way.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Dexter looked at Titania in admiration. He had never met anyone more playful, more brave. He watched her as she hugged her swan, and then tilted her head back and laughed her sweet laugh. He watched as a man crept up behind and tore her from the swans wings. He leapt up and hit and kicked and pushed, trying to help Titania. But one shove from the man, and he was sent reeling back. When he got up, neither Titania nor the man was insight. There was only one thing to do, he turned and stumbled off the carousel and as fast as his legs could carry him, ran to find Aries and Felix to tell them what had happened.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Aries watched Titania and Dexter on the carousel. They looked like they were having so much fun, without a care in the world. "Look Aries!" Felix interrupted. "There's Cecilia!" Aries turned to look. There she was. Cecilia Freeman. She sat in the seat in front of him in school. He had been crushing on her for three years now, but he had never worked up the courage to ask her out and now he could not stop looking at her. He only turned when he heard the sounds of someone running towards them. It was little Dexter, out of breath with tears streaming down his face. Felix sprung up and was at his brother's side in an instant. "Dexter, Dexter, what is the matter, what has happened?" He pressed for answers, but Dexter could not answer just yet. Finally when his breath came back, he poured out in between sobs, "Titania! We were on the ride, and then a big, bad man came and took her away, I tried to help her. But I couldn't! And now I don't know where she is!" Upon hearing this, Aries jumped to his feet! How could he have been so stupid?! He was supposed to be watching her, and he let himself get distracted by some insignificant girl! If he didn't find her, he would never ever forgive himself!


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

Felix could taste Aries' fear. It was surrounding them in the air. Already suffocating them with its presence. "Come on Aries! We must hurry if we want to find her before dark" he urged his friend.

"Okay. Let's go." Aries agreed, staring into the distance. He began walking to the other side of the carousel. Unwilling now to let Dexter out of his sight, Felix grabbed his younger brother's hand and then followed.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

The three boys searched for hours. They asked countless numbers of people if they had seen a little girl of Titania's description, they got Dexter to describe what the man had looked like, but no luck, and Dexter was getting impatient. He knew that Felix wouldn't want him to go off by himself, but he desperately wanted to find Titania. So when Felix and Aries were talking to an old fortuneteller, he quickly turned and ran into the woods. He must have gotten lost, because it felt like he had been walking forever, and it was starting to get dark. He eventually came to a small river. He thought he could hear voices on the other side, and then came a scream as clear as day. It was Titania! Dexter thought to himself. But how could he reach her? He stepped cautiously onto the bank of the river, looking for a way to get across. As he stepped the tiniest bit closer, his foot slipped on the mud and he toppled into the hungry river. Dexter fought desperately to keep his head above the water. But he had never been taught to swim. His head went under, and his lungs burnt, filling with water. He felt himself sinking into the cold, wet, darkness of the world beneath.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

As Felix turned away from the fortuneteller, he noticed that Dexter was no longer by his side. Looking left and right, he began to panic. First Titania and now Dexter, could someone possibly be trying to hurt these two families on purpose? But that's ridiculous, Felix reasoned with himself. Neither of them had any enemies. It was probably just some joke, thought up by Dexter and Titania themselves. They would turn up soon, and they would laugh at how much their two brothers had panicked. But he couldn't get Dexter's look of pure terror out of his head.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

Alone in a darkened room, Titania cowered in a corner. The bad man would be back soon. She was sure of it, for he had told her so. And it was best to believe the bad man, because the bad man had promised he would always keep his word.

The door opened slowly, and in stepped a middle aged timid woman. She turned the lights on, and for the first time Titania saw her surroundings. She was in a well-furnished bedroom. There was a four-poster bed in the center of the room, and a grand dresser, with a basin, jug and towel on the top across from it, against the wall. There was a mirror hanging above it, and all around there was numerous paintings, rugs and plants. The woman opened the dressed and pulled out a red dress. Beckoning to Titania to get up, she moved towards her and whispered "You will be safe here child, if you do as you are told. If not, they will throw you headfirst into the river, or send you with the Jews to the concentration camps."

"But I want to go home to my family, I don't want to stay here" Titania pleaded.

"You have no family now child." The woman said sadly. "This is your home now."

The woman shook her head in misery, turned and scuttled out of the room.

"Please don't leave" Titania begged, running to the door. But it was too late. The door was shut in her face, and she heard the lock turn. Turning back to face the room, Titania walked to the bed, and began to cry.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

"Oh my god! Someone has been found in the river! Someone has drowned!" A man yelled, running around the carnival grounds. A woman screamed, and people started rushing towards the forest to catch a glimpse. Aries and Felix ran ahead, anxious to see if it was one of the two lost children. Police were everywhere. They were pulling a body out of the water. "Stand back please" A policeman asked the two boys and co-operatively they stood to the side, and watched as the body was untangled from the reeds at the bank of the river. Aries could not watch, so he looked at Felix instead, but Felix was staring intently at the body in the water. Aries watched as Felix gasped and ran towards the body. Aries watched as several policeman tried to restrain him. Aries watched as Felix tried to push past them.

"He's my brother! He's my brother!"

"Let him through," the Chief Investigator told his men. As the policemen dropped their guard, Felix pushed past them and ran to his brother's battered body.

"Dexter! Oh Dexter!" Felix sobbed, leaning over the dead boy's corpse. "Why didn't you stay with me? Why did you run away?"

"Come on Son," the Chief put his hand on Felix's shoulder. "It's time to call your folks.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Titania looked up as the lock clicked, and the door swung open. It was the woman again.

"Come on love, it's time to get you all prettied up."

Titania was confused as to the occasion but she obeyed. She still remembered what the bad man had said. She walked over to the dresser and let the woman wash her. She watched as the woman picked up the red dress, and she obediently raised her arms so that the woman could pull the dress over her head. She waited patiently while the woman found all the paints in the drawer, and made her face up perfectly and she stood still when the lady tied a ribbon into her hair.

"There." The woman said, satisfied. "You have the face of an angel, my love."

Titania did not say anything, afraid that her tears would spill if she opened her mouth. The woman must have noticed because her face softened and she put her arms around the frightened girl.

"There now pet, don't be afraid. You will be safe here, I promise. Just do as the Master says. Come now love, my name is Ruth, but you can call me Hen, everyone here does. If you need anything, you let me know, all right Sweet? I'm here to take care of you." Titania nodded, and Ruth pulled her into a hug.

"I must go now my love, but I will bring you your dinner later on. Be brave now." Ruth touched Titania's face lightly, picked up her skirts and quickly scuttled out of the room. Titania stood still, and looked at herself in the mirror.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Aries and Felix had moved back to the carnival grounds. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan had arrived, and they were with Dexter. Felix had not been able to look them in the eye, so the two boys had left. The carnival was still packed. Nobody else had been affected by the events of the day. No one else cared. They wandered aimlessly around the grounds, not really seeing anything, not bothering to think of anything to talk about. "Felix…" Aries eventually broke the silence, "would you like some popcorn?"

Felix nodded and smiled gratefully at his friend.

"Okay, I will be right back" Aries smiled back, and touched his friend on the shoulder, then turned and walked towards the candy stall.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Titania stood and looked at herself in the mirror. She could barely recognize herself. The shape of her face, and her long, blonde curls were the same. But the face, she could not place. The paint had covered it, and made it so pretty it was almost plastic. She looked at herself, and the tears began to fall. She jumped when she heard the lock turn, and the door open. She heard footsteps behind her, and felt a hand on the small of her back. She turned around to face the newcomer, it was the bad man. He gently placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face up as if to get a better look.

"Such delicate tears" He murmured. "What is your name my darling?"

"Titania" the little girl whispered.

"Ah. Titania." The man breathed, as if saying her name was like tasting a fine wine. He looked at her again.

"Why is your face painted so, when it is already the face of an angel?" With that he got a cloth, and gently began to remove the makeup from her youthful face.

"Now Titania," he sighed with pleasure at the sound of her name, "listen carefully my love. Call me Daddy, because I am going to take care of you. You are mine now and you will be safe, as long as you do as you are told, and let me do as I wish. I will teach you everything you need to know to please the men and you will be a star. No, no. Do not cry. You belong to me, and I will keep you safe. Will you let me take care of you?"

Titania looked up at him and nodded. Smiling an evilly triumphant smile, Daddy took her hand, and led her to the bed.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

As Aries, stood in the line for the candy stall, he began to get impatient. He didn't want to leave Felix alone for too long, he had just found out his little brother had drowned under his watch, who knows what he might do. Aries kept glancing back, and Felix was always there, looking right back at him. The two exchanged smiles, and Aries moved his attention back onto the slowly decreasing line in front of him. Finally there was only one person ahead of him. Aries looked back one more time, to find Felix examining a stall. Happy that his friend was distracted from the events of the day, Aries continued to think of what he would do to find Titania. Maybe he could ask the policemen for help. The lady ahead of him walked away, and Aries stepped forward to take his place in front of the counter. As he opened his mouth to give his order, there was a shrill whistle from behind him. Before he had time to turn, people started screaming and pushing trying to get out of the carnival grounds. Aries kept trying to move to find Felix, but he was getting battered from all sides. Someone shoved him in the shoulders and he fell to the ground. Looking around him, he saw people running in all different directions. But what were they running from? Looking left and right he could only see the feet of fleeing people. But when he looked straight ahead he saw them. S.S officers, hundreds of them. Some held guns, somewhere chasing after the running people, others where standing and laughing at the chaos around them. None of them paid any attention to Aries lying broken on the ground and that suited him find. He got up and started frantically searching for Felix all the while praying that he wasn't too late.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Titania didn't look up as Ruth walked in. She didn't move as Ruth set down the tray of food, and went to close the curtains. Ruth stopped to look at her, and eventually asked "Is everything alright Pet?" Titania looked up, put on a brave smile and nodded.

"There you go love, that's right. Would you like me to feed you?"

"Yes, please Hen." Titania replied timidly.

"How did you like the Master?" Ruth asked. "He's a right handsome man he is. Got a right special interest in you too Love. Of course he will have to wait until you come of age, but he's never been this interested in any girl before." Titania didn't say anything, knowing that Daddy never had any intention of waiting till she was a woman. He took what he wanted, whenever he wanted it, and he wanted her now. If Titania had known what 'taking care' of her meant, she would have run to the river as soon as Daddy had asked her those words. Now it was too late, she was unpure, a princess of darkness. Daddy had shown her the way and now she was trapped.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Aries searched in vain. Left, right, up and down, but he could not catch so much as a glimpse of Felix. Calling his name wasn't helping either; he couldn't even hear himself over all the chaos. So Aries went and stood where he had left Felix, hoping that his friend would know to find him there. There he stood, turning around occasionally, still hoping to find Felix. And then he heard it. He heard Felix's voice calling his name. Turning more frantically, he tried to pin point where the voice was coming from. He still couldn't him, until he had turned a full 360 degrees. And then there before him was Felix. Filled with relief, Aries smiled and started towards his friend. But then he noticed, that Felix wasn't alone. He was being dragged away by two S.S officers. Felix was screaming his name, begging for help, but all Aries could do was stand frozen with fear, and stare. One of the officers noticed him and beckoned for two others to go and capture the vulnerable youth. So Aries turned, and he ran, never looking back. The last thing Felix saw was his best friend's back, running the other way. Felix felt the feeling of abandonment wash over him, and he hung his head in misery.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Felix was loaded into a train. He was cold, hungry and scared. A young woman noticed his distress, and placed herself beside him.

"Do not worry young friend. All will be well," she tried to reassure him.

"Where are we going?" Felix asked her.

"To Auschwitz."

"I do not understand. I thought the concentration camps were only for the Jews?"

"They were, young one, until we Gypsies became victims too."


	18. Part Two Preface

Part Two - 8 years later.

The Morgan's spent the rest of their lives grieving the loss of both their sons. They were eventually captured and sent to a concentration camp.

Felix was sent to Auschwitz, were he was sentenced to work as a slave until he was deemed unfit to live.

Aries ran all the way home to his parents and was forever blamed for the disappearance of his little sister. He eventually passed himself of as German, and joined the S.S… the Nazi Party.

Titania spent the next eight years being 'taught' by Daddy. When she was 16, and too old for his tastes, he sent her traveling, to make money, by entertaining the Nazis.


End file.
